COVID-19 asset impairment considerations for long-lived assets

Many entities and practitioners face asset impairment testing and accounting challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent Wall Street Journal article1 indicates that impairment charges for the first 6 months of 2020 are up 187% from the same period in 2019. The total figure for write-downs in the first half of the year is among the highest for the past 20 years, but lower than such charges in all of 2008 and 2015.

Impairment models under U.S.